Police: Copies of Zodiac Killer's letter found in Fishtown appears to be a prank

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Police say they are investigating a Halloween prank gone too far that involves the infamous Zodiac Killer.

Police were busy giving out Halloween candy outside the 26th Police District Monday evening, but a few blocks away it was a prank, not a treat that had neighbors talking after they found copies of a note appearing to be from the 1970s Zodiac Killer on cars.

"They looked a little bit funny so I grabbed one and looked at it. I recognized it right away as a copy of something from the Zodiac Killer back in the 70s," Pastor Ran Roth told FOX 29.

Pastor Dan Roth of the Summerfield-Siloam United Methodist Church in Fishtown noticed the flyers on car windshields on his way to church Sunday morning. He snapped a few pictures of the flyers posted on parked cars on the 2200 block of York and called police.

"This contained some stuff that's kind of threatening, so I figured it would be a wise thing to contact the police and let them know about it," Roth explained.

The flyers appear to be copies of a 1970s letter from the Zodiac Killer in the San Francisco area. It included symbols and a threat against school children in San Francisco.

"It looked like it was a xerox copy of the actual letter; same symbols, same wording," said 26th District Captain George Kappe.

Police in the 26th District found another one of Sepviva Street and investigated. No other letters showed up anywhere else in the area, so they determined it wasn't anything serious, just a prank.

"There were no threats made or anything of that nature that would make us be concerned for the safety of anybody in the neighborhood," Captain Kappe told FOX 29.

"I think they probably intentionally choose this because it was somewhat provocative, but yet also kind of vague enough," said Roth.